Abahani will be looking for revenge when they will face their bitter rivals Mohammedan SC in today’s eagerly anticipated Super Cup final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
Mohammedan had beaten Abahani 1-0 in the final of the inaugural edition of Super Cup in 2009.
This will be the third meeting between the two Dhaka giants with the Federation Cup champions Abahani enjoying an edge, winning their first match in the first leg of the league and drawing the second leg goalless.
However, it is not the result against Mohammedan, Abahani are rather counting on their form in the Federation Cup in which they thumped a full-strength Sheikh Jamal Dhanomndi Club 5-3 to lift their maiden trophy in this season.
Abahani coach Amalesh Sen, who replaced Iranian coach Ali Akbar in the middle of the Bangladesh League’s second leg, is gearing up for the challenge as a win will not only give them the title but also will provide a much-needed cash boost – Tk 1 crore in prize money.
‘Mohammedan-Abahani game is always unpredictable but we are confident that we can beat them, we have already done that once this season,’ said Amalesh at a pre-match press conference on Thursday.
Mohammedan suffered a huge blow at the beginning of this season with most of their players migrating to the other clubs. Only Hasan Al Mamun from that 2009 Super Cup winning team remained at Mohammedan to lead the side this season.
Mohammedan were forced to assemble a team full of fresh bloods, who lack the experience of representing such a big club and the result was evident in their sixth-place finish in the Bangladesh League.
‘Mamun will bring luck for us. He has the experience of winning this trophy and he will guide our green horns at this crucial moment,’ said Mohammedan coach Shafiqul Islam Manik.
‘My players have already learnt a lot during the lengthy season, so I don’t think experience will be a big difference in this match.’
Manik was taking positives from their recent performance which has been very impressive by any standard.
Mohammedan drew their first two matches against Muktijoddha Sangsad KC (2-2) and Sheikh Russell (1-1) in the first round of the tournament and with a little bit of luck they could have won both the games which they thoroughly dominated.
They also outplayed league champions Sheikh Jamal in their 4-2 semi-final win.
‘We may not have big national stars but we are good as a unit. My players were a little shaky at the beginning of the season but now we are dominating our opponents and scoring a lot,’ Manik added.
Mohammedan’s success in the final will depend on their Nigerian striker Sunday Chizoba, who is in top form scoring 12 goals in the second leg of the league before adding four goals in the Super Cup matches, including a hat-trick in the semi-final.
-With New Age input
